Sunday, January 31, 2010

I just received word from Finishing Line Press that Light and Trials of Light will be shipping this week after a delay with the printer. I am excited to see it in the hands of friends, and to have a nice healthy stack of review copies to send out.

I am also still seeking reviewers for my book that just released from Atlantic Publishing, How to Write and Publish a Successful Children's Book (see left sidebar to order).

I am very excited for my client, whose memoir I recently finished editing. We sent out query letters to agents on Monday of last week, and by Friday she had a request for a full manuscript sitting in her inbox. The package should go out tomorrow, and then, we wait for 6 to 8 weeks to hear back. I don't know about her, but I will be awaiting the response with bated breath.

And, I just turned in the final copy for my book on Kindle publishing, which will release from Atlantic Publishing in the spring of this year. I am watching the Kindle-iPad problem with great interest. I would like to see the debate result in some healthy changes for the publishing industry--changes that I hope will work in favor of authors, and not media megaconglomerates.

Now it's time to dive into a gigantic stack of submissions, both for Prick of the Spindle and Aqueous Books, to try to find time to work on my short stories, and to prepare for Art Party VII, which is just around the corner, on February 27. So much to do, so little time.

Tuesday, January 26, 2010

Yesterday, I announced Prick of the Spindle's new print publishing arm, Aqueous Books. We already have two publications in the works, to be announced soon. There is a third manuscript on its way, and I barely breathed word of this ten hours ago. That is indeed a good sign. Our first publication will be a collection of short stories, and the second will be a printing of the first novel ever published by Prick of the Spindle. I'll leave it you to investigate the latter. (Hint: It's not from the current issue, Vol. 3.4.)

Tuesday, January 19, 2010

With the release of my book, "How To Write and Publish a Successful Children's Book," (available for purchase through the link on the left side of this page), I have a guest blog post appearance at http://atlanticpub.wordpress.com/ and a podcast available on YouTube at http://bit.ly/7AeHfB.

Saturday, January 16, 2010

I have fond memories of my father taking me to the library from the time I was about four, sitting with me in our wonderfully sixties-era postmodern library, with its bright orange bean bag chairs and russet-colored, triangular wall decor. I learned to read at age four, and from the time I cracked my first picture book and inhaled its glossy illustrations (I have always been an ardent fan of new book smells), I have dreamed about someday having a shelf full of my own books--books I wrote--somewhere in my home.

Two days ago, my first shipment of books arrived on my doorstep. It was a sunny day, rain-free, and when I (ever-so-carefully) ripped open the package, excitement built and my smile began to glow. There they were, two little stacks of books with my name on the cover. The first thing I did was run my fingers over the glossy cover, and then of course, as per old habit, I flipped through its pages and let its scent carry under my nose. Then I really flipped through it, looking at the illustrations, graphics I created, authors I interviewed, text I wrote.

It is quite a different thing to toil away and research well into the night, to build and edit and create this project, this book; quite a different thing to eat, sleep, and breathe it, than it is to hold the finished product in your hand. How to Write and Publish a Successful Children's Book is something I am very proud of. The cover is handsome, and I am so pleased with the professionalism of Atlantic Publishing's layout department.

And there are two more coming out this year. My first poetry chapbook, of course, Light and Trials of Light, ships from Finishing Line Press January 22. And I finish up my book on publishing for the Kindle in one week; the anticipated release date for that book is early spring 2010.

And sometime in February, the first issue of the bi-annual Artifice Magazine will be arriving on my doorstep.

There is another exciting thing in the works, but I can't reveal trade secrets, even to my closest friends. Sorry, guys! Hate me now, but when my toilsome work of coding for about a week straight comes to fruition (pending approval, keeping my fingers crossed!) I will crow like someone dropped an anvil on my foot (what are those used for, anyway?).

Light and Trials of Light ships from Finishing Line Press January 22. And I wrap up my book on Kindle publishing toward the end of this month, and I anticipate publication in early spring 2010. The Kindle book includes an interview with celebrated screenwriter John August, who penned the scripts for Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Big Fish, Go, Charlie's Angels, and others.

Good things are coming my way through other sources. A longtime lawyer friend will be processing the 501(c)(3) nonprofit paperwork for Prick of the Spindle. Finally! After much ado and a few years of false starts, we are at long last on our way to becoming official. Funding is a resource that has been sorely lacking for us, but now that proverbial light at the end of the tunnel is beginning to beam through.

2009 started off with tragic beginnings, and don't even get me started on the nightmare that was 2008. It is with both relief and hope that I enter this new decade.

Prick of the Spindle Quarterly Literary Journal

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About Me

Cynthia Reeser is the Editor-in-Chief and founder of Prick of the Spindle and Publisher of Aqueous Books. Her poetry, fiction, reviews, visual art, and articles can be found in a variety of print and online sources. Her books include Light and Trials of Light (Finishing Line Press, 2010), a nonfiction book on publishing for children from Atlantic Publishing, which was a finalist in its category in the 2010 Indie Book Awards, and a book on publishing for the Kindle (Atlantic Publishing). Her visual art and a full curriculum vitae can be found at www.cynthiareeser.com.